Comments about ‘Letters: Struggling horsemen’

It no longer has anything to do with budgets and forward thinking for the benefit of the nation. It's all about whether someone will get reelected or not.

Wouldn't that be nice--a sensible approach to budgeting.

Let's call it what it is. It's all about hoping the real power accepts the plans to shift all the costs of austerity measures straight to the working class creating more wealth for the ruling class. Just one more step to feudalism

...and we'll re elect 'em next time, let the corporations and superpacs own them.

This letter writer incorrectly assumes this "fiscal cliff" legislation was a piece of budget legislation. It was not.

The legislation changed the some parts of existing federal tax law (for example, tax rates were changed for those earning more than $400K per year, and the Alternative Minimum Tax will now be permanently indexed to inflation). It postponed the automatic spending cuts that were to take effect on the first of the year to the first of March, and basically extended the expiration date for existing previous spending authorizations such as Federal Unemployment Benefits and the commonly referred to Medicare Doc-Fix. It also extended the expiration date of the previously passed pay freeze for members of Congress but not for Federal employees.

It should also be noted that Federal Budget legislation, when properly passed by both Houses of Congress, and signed by the President, does NOT authorize expenditures. Budgets are ONLY used to set spending limits for various House and Senate Committees PRIOR to preparation for passage of a omnibus-size series of expenditure authorizations via the House Ways and Means Committee that are to fit within the confines of the approved Federal Budget. These spending authorizations are then submitted for subsequent passage by members of the full House, and then submitted to the Senate for their action. Any changes are worked out in joint House-Senate conference, and then approved by both Chambers for submittal to the President.

The absence of passage/approval of a Budget results in having to pass a series of expenditure authorizations individually as "stop gap" spending authorizations or by passage of continuing expenditure resolutions in order to keep the Government running.

Boehner claimed yesterday that he will no longer run back and forth to the White House at the behest of the President.

This is a good sign, if, in fact, he keeps his word.

The letter writer is correct that spending bills SHOULD originate in the House of Representatives. Problem is, at least the last 3 Presidents have expressed that they will veto any spending bills that they don't like. Obama isn't by any means the first to do that.

Things most probably WOULD get interesting if the House does pass a spending bill that doesn't get dictated by the President or the Senate!

I'm afraid the reins in Congress now are held by big money and not We The People.

One old man: Big money? Who would that be? The only "big money" left is the staggering national debt which has grown faster under Barrack Obama than any president in history! Bit money is big government!

With the Greek paradigm as our model we tax and spend, spend and tax. Blame it on Big Money which is a convenient bogey man, whether it be corporations or George Soros, unions, etc. The reality is that no individual, family, corporation, NGO, or nation can spend more than they take in. The conclusion is that our legislators are living in a fantasy world borne of re-election.